Two Gil and a Smile
by ShadesofImagination
Summary: A brief interest in another one of Zack's hair-brained schemes makes Tseng reconsider a few things in his life. Who knew a balloon and a smile could be so helpful...One-shot.


**AN: I suppose this should go to Lord Shinta, who has recently provoked thoughts of Tseng and Cloud interacting in my brain. The prompt for this was 'Balloon'. **

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**Two Gil and a Smile**

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Jokes were quite common the in the Shinra building. Most people were aware that at least half of the higher ranking members of the company spent a large potion of their time acting like children, be it by fighting, playing any number of ridiculous pranks, or making paper airplanes out of their paperwork. It was simply stress relief in a high pressure job, most insisted. Which, Tseng supposed, was why no one batted an eye when Zack Fair decided he would sell balloons to make some extra gil. Really, he had to agree that a childish SOLDIER was preferable to a mentally unstable one.

Still, Tseng honestly hadn't been sure what the younger man was thinking. Selling balloons in the company building was a rather hair brained idea to actually make a profit from in his opinion. It had been at least; until he'd walked past the grinning Second Class as he handed out a purple balloon to a smiling secretary. Behind her, Rude had been waiting his turn in line, silent as usual, but his lips had been arching upward slightly and Tseng had no doubt that if he'd taken off his glasses, that shadow of a smile would have been showing in his eyes.

Evidently, people over the age of four, other than Zack Fair, really did like balloons.

A week went by and every day, Zack could be found all over the building, handing out balloons in exchange for two gil. They were helium inflated and came with a ribbon that he carefully tied off on each person's wrist in a slip-knot.

It was Friday and Tseng had just completed his paperwork when he found himself wandering down the hall, straight for Fair, instead of his originally planned destination of home.

"Hey, Tseng, want one?"

Zack grinned at him and Tseng shook his head. His curiosity had been piqued. "Where did you come up with this scheme?"

"Scheme?" Zack snorted, shaking his head. "Man, do you ever just do things for fun? Stop analyzing everything?"

Tseng shrugged in answer. It was his job to over think everything. "Where," he repeated.

"My girlfriend. I got her a balloon a few weeks ago and she sells flowers down in the slums to brighten up the day. So...why not do that here?" Zack's smile was soft and sincere, and Tseng's impression of him shifted slightly. "A lot of people like them and the smile is really what I'm after. People need that around here."

He nodded once in understanding and silence over took the both of them.

Zack had a point and Tseng almost felt the need to apologize for lumping him into the same group he did most people. The young man had a reputation for being nice and he had underestimated how deeply that really went. Mostly, the people in Shinra lived hard lives, dealing with death and corruption on a daily basis. There were few bright spots in the atmosphere those things created and he found himself wanting to compliment Zack on his endeavor and the meaning behind it.

Instead of voicing it out-loud, Tseng pulled out his wallet and fished four gil from it. "Two, please," he said quietly.

Zack's smile was soft when he replied. "Colors?"

"Anything is just fine."

He left the hall with two balloons tied around his wrist: a blue one and a purple one. His thoughts were surprisingly heavy as he strode into the elevator. At some point in their brief conversation, Zack had struck a chord within him. When _was _the last time he'd done something just for a smile, for the light feeling of fun? He shook his head at himself when he couldn't remember.

The elevator slowed and the door slid open, admitting someone that Tseng was honestly surprised to see: a blond trooper that had drawn his attention weeks earlier when Tseng had seen him running across the compound, scarf held over the lower portion of his face to shield it from the nearly acidic rain. The shock of yellow hair had pulled Tseng's attention instantly and held it for quite some time, even after he had disappeared from sight.

The blond stepped in and waved in greeting. "Good evening, sir."

Tseng inclined his head and the younger man seemed to take that as his reply. The doors closed once again and they both settled into a semi-comfortable silence. Beside him, the Trooper was swaying slightly, foot tapping lightly against the floor to what Tseng assumed was a melody that only he could hear.

As he surveyed him from the corner of his eye, it was with a twinge of shock that he realized, deep down, he'd really hoped to see this man again. He blinked slowly, processing the feelings and considering his next move. A smile tugged at his own lips when a thought crossed his mind.

With only the briefest hints of hesitation, he reached down and pulled the purple balloon from his wrist and held it out.

The blond turned to him with a questioning look and Tseng nodded, moving the balloon a little closer. After a moment he took it and Tseng couldn't keep his smile from widening when a goofy grin broke out on the Trooper's face.

"I love balloons."

Tseng chuckled quietly. "It appears that quite a few people do."

"Yourself included?"

He thought about it for a moment and nodded. "Myself included."

"That's good," the blond said. "There's really nothing to dislike about a balloon. I'm Cloud, by the way."

"Tseng," he returned.

"Thank you, Tseng."

"You're welcome, Cloud." Dropping his hands, he settled back into his previous position, but this time, he was smiling openly and, for the first time in a very long time, he felt the niggling of happiness in the back of his mind. Perhaps someday he would thank Zack and, perhaps, he might see Cloud again.

...

**This turned out much more serious than I had originally planned. Considering I had been going for crack, just about anything would be more serious than that. **

**Thanks for reading 3**


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